Golf club cleaner



June 29, 1954 D. w. GREEN 2,682,072

GOLF CLUB CLEANER Filed July 2, 1951 Patented June 219, `1954 UNITED STATE 'f-E"l raam ortica 2 Claims.

This invention relates to cleaning devices, and in particular to a device or tool particularly adapted to removal of soft or caked dirt or the like from the face and grooves or pits in the head of a golf club or other instrument or tool.

Clubs used for playing golf frequently become caked with mud or sand etc. during the playing of even a few strokes. When they become coated in this manner it is not possible to obtain the intended results from them until they are cleaned to the point where their surfaces are back to their original configuration. Even the weight of the adhering coating will affect the power and accuracy of the blow imparted to the ball. Players resort to various expediente to clean the club head before using the club, the most obvious step .being to wipe the club head upon the grass or upon a rag. Because of the various angles of the club face with respect to the handle, it is not ordinarily possible to completely clean the head upon the grass. If a rag is used, it soon becomes dirty and gritty to the point where it becomes a nuisance to carry around during a game.

Because of the above, as Well as other reasons, this invention provides a new and improved cleaning device or tool that is of small size, simple n construction, and has retractible tools that are withdrawn into the frame or body of the device when not being used, so that they are not dangerous, and yet may be quickly placed in operating position for use in performing any desired cleaning operation upon a club head when needed. While the dimensions of the device may be varied, it is preferably so constructed that when the cleaning tools are in retracted position the device occupies substantially the same amount of space as a conventional b ook of matches.

Preferably the device comprises a frame or body having a plurality of cleaning devices slidably mounted therein, and movable between a retracted position and an extended position, wherein they may be used separately or in combination for the cleaning of a golf club head. While the illustrated embodiment shows a surface scraper, a groove scraper, and a brush, it is apparent that other cleaning tools may be used in place of these, and that the number and type of tools carried by the frame can be varied according to the wishes of the user.

It is accordingly a primary object of the invention to provide a novel device for the cleaning of tools such as a golf club head or the like.

Another important object is the provision of a,

novel cleaning device having several cleaning tools mounted in a frame or body in such manner that they may be all or selectively retracted within the outlines of the frame.

It is another important object to provide a new and improved cleaning device wherein one or more cleaning tools are shiftably mounted in a common frame or body in such manner that they may 4be shifted therein from retracted position to one or more working positions Where they may be used to clean a golf club head or the like.

Other objects will appear as the description proceeds in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan View of the cleaning device With all tool elements retracted into the frame or body to inoperative position.

Figure 2 is a View in side elevation as viewed from the right of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a side elevation as left of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a bottom plan view of the device as viewed from the bottom of Figure l.

Figure 5 is a bottom plan view similar to Figure 4, but with all three illustrated tool elements fully extended to their outermost positions.

Figure 6 is an enlarged partial sectional View, taken substantially along the line 6 6 of Figure 4 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to the drawings, the device includes a main frame or body 9 that may advantageously be of the rectangular configuration illustrated in Figures 1 to 4. The body is of any suitable material such as Bakelite, rust-proof metal such as aluminum, or of transparent plastic or the like. The last named material is advantageous because the particular tools are visible through the plastic even when wholly retracted into the body 9, as is apparent particularly from Figure l.

In the illustrated embodiment the device includes three cleaning tools, namely a pointedend groove or pit cleaner lil, a face-cleaner or scraper i l and a brush l2. Each of these tools is so mounted that it can be fully withdrawn into the body 9, as seen in Figure l, or may be extended outwardly from the body to an operable position, as viewed in Figure 5. As will be further explained, the tools may be selectively extended only partially out of the body 9, to an intermediate extended position, wherein they are securely held or locked just as they are in the fully extended or the fully retracted positions.

Taking rst the groove or pit cleaner I0, it

viewed from the comprises a metal blade terminating in a relatively sharp point I3. The other end of the blade I is received in a bore I4 in a sliding block element I5, the blade being secured in the bore by solder, cement, screw threads, or the like, depending upon the material of the block I5. This block I5 is slidably received in a slot or groove I6 in the body 9, this slot extending from the right end of the body, as viewed in Figure 1, to a point adjacent the left end, where it terminates in an abutment I1 (Figure 1) similar in shape to the left end of the sliding block |55, for mating engagement therewith. To the left of the abutment I'I, the body 9 is provided with a bore I8 for the passage of the groove or pitcleaner blade Il).

As shown in Figure 4, the other side of the body 3 is provided with a slot or groove I3 that extends from the bottom of the slot I6 to and through the bottom surface 22 of the bodyV 9. This slot I9r is narrower and not as long as the slot IB, but is instead only as long as the stroke of the blade I8 from extended' to retracted po'- sition, having one terminus at 23 (Figure 4) and its other terminus at 24 (Figure 5). The width of the slot. I9 is just slightly greater than the outer diameter of the tubular` portion 25 of `a tubular rivet having a conventional flanged head 26 (Figures 4 6) Atthe terminus 23 (Figure 4) of slot I9, the bottom surface 22 is countersunk at 2l to provide a recess for the head 2B of the rivet. At the vother terminus 24 (Figures 4 and 5).- the bottom surface" is similarly countersunk at 28. Mid-Way of the length of slot ISthe surface is similarly countersunk at 2 9.

Aswill be better understood from Figure 6, the rivet body' has a sliding nt in the slot I9. The end of the rivet remote from. its head 26 passes through and is rigidly secured toa rec'- tangular button 32 (Figures l, 2 and 6) that is received within a mating through slot. 33 (Figures 1 and 6) in the sliding block I5. The button 32, and the tubular rivet secured thereto are normally pushed to the left as viewed in Figures 2 and 6 by acoil spring. 34 (seen only in Figure 6) that surrounds the tubular portion 25 of the rivet and is conned between the bottom of the button 32 and the bottombfy the slot I6 in the body 9. It is thus that the head 26 on the rivet resiliently retains the sliding block I5 Within i the slot I6, because the headl 25. cannot pass through the slot I9 in the body 9. Still referring to Figure 6, when the button S2 is depressed in order to unseat the rivet head 26 from its particular counter-sink 2l, 25 or 23 then the button is depressed` to the dotted line. position;

at 32a' andthe rivet head 2B is raised' to the dottedline positionshown at 26a.

Whenever the sliding block I5. is at' either end' of its stroke, if the button 32. islnot` manually depressed, the head 2S is received in either the counteresink 2l or 28 and will thus lock. theV sliding block. and its associated blade IU against movement. Similarly, if ther rivet head^ 26V is seated in the counteresinl'r ZS'the blade Willb'eY locked in itssmid-position with the point I3 protrudingca shorter distance from thebody 9-.1

The bristles of. the brush I2 are mounted in' one end-of ashank 3E, the other endoflwhichV is rigidly secured in a bore'3'! in a'central slidingblock 38A mounted in a slot 39 inthe body'S As shown inl and as seen in Figures 4 and 5, there are only;

twoicounteresunkportions4I and 42La't the-ends of a slot 43 for the retaining and locking rivet 44 that is in all respect similar to the rivet on the previously described push button for the blade IIJ and is secured to a button 45. When the brush I2 is extended, its sliding block 38, besides being limited in its movement by the rivet 44, is also stopped by a mating abutment 46. Thus the limit of the extended positions of both the brush I2 and the blade I0 are determined by both the abutments 46l and II as Well as by the lengths of the slots 43 and I9. Beyond the abutment 46 the body 3 has a bore 41 for the passage of the brushy I2v to extended position, the same bore receiving the brush when in retracted position, as will be apparent from Figure 1.

Thel face cleaner or scraper II is primarily a flat metal blade having three edges 48, 43 and 50v (Figure 5) that may be used for scraping the face to remove dirt or paint resulting from shank slots or any other` large'surface of al golf club head'.y If desired, this face cleaner blade may be mounted in the same manner as the blade I0 and the brush I2. However, it is sometimes subjected to rougher usage than the other elements and for that reason it is advantageously slidably mounted in a T slot 53 so that its tubular` rivet v54 is not subjected to the larger forces re-I quired to hold it in its slot, and so that the action of the rivet 54may be said to be more of a locking action than' both a locking and re-v taining action. The entire sliding block that carries the face cleaning' blade` II may be homogeneous with the blade or the blade' may be in the nature of an. insert' in' the bottom of the sliding block 56, and. secured thereto as by rivets 5?, as in the illustrated embodiment or screws. A's inthe case of the brush I2 andl the groove cleaner blade I0, the limits of the stroke of bladeV I-I are determinedv by the length ofa slot or'- groove 59 for its tubular rivet 54 that c'oactswithv its button 6I and counter-sunk recesses 62, 63 and 64 to lock the blade II in any of its three' positions just as does the head on rivet 25v for the blade I0.

FromY the foregoing description-,it will be ap-` parent that' when none' of the tools are in use they may all be fullyy retracted into thebo'dy- 9; However, when it is'desired tolcle'an aV golf club head or the lille,- any one or more of the tools may be manually displaced from retracted to` extended or partially' extended' position by" depressing one ofv the rectangular buttons anrl simultaneously pushing itf to the left, as viewed" in Figure 1'. Taking for` example the groove or pit clean'erbladeA I0; it|- may'be fully extended to the position-shown ini-Figure 5, orit-may be op-` tionally'oniypartly extendedLby' pushing its but'` ton 32 to the left until the flanged head26on the tubularrivet falls.` into'V the Vcountersunlt depression 29.'

Anyl two or moreof the three illustrated tools may befused simultaneously. For example thev face cleaner or scraper I I may be usedto yremove' a heavy' deposit froinonev portion of the golf club head or the like' while the brush I2imay be used-simultaneously to clean an adjacent por'-V tionof the club h'ead.l In'a Vsimilar manner brusl- I2'and` the groove orl'pit cleaner blade IU may; be simultaneously. used, orl all' three tools-may' be used-at' the same? time.

When any-oneY ofi the toolsY is withdr'aiifnI to retractedposition; ahy'debris adhering to it'fror' a Cieaningoperationwni se automamanyscraped from it as the respective tool is movedV to'itfs" retracted-posltionlwithiiitliefmaiitraine or body 5 9. Thus, when the tool is shifted to extended position again it is ready for immediate use, for Whatever specific use it is designed, such as scraping or brushing.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms Without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiment is therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by United States Letters Patent is:

1. In a cleaning device, a main frame comprising a body with opposed surfaces and having a groove extending from lone surface toward an opposite surface of said body; an element in said groove and dimensioned so as to be slidable in said groove; a slot extending from said opposite surface of said body toward said groove, but narrower and shorter than said groove and intersecting said groove; and single means extending through said slot and groove and rigidly connected to said element to limit the movement said slidable element, and said slot including l spaced counter-sunk depressions in said opposite body surface to receive the enlarged flanged head of said rivet; and a depressible button on said rivet and protruding beyond said body on the opposite side thereof from said enlarged flanged head on said rivet.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 448,602 Butt Mar. 17, 1891 1,048,868 Pear-don Dec. 31, 1912 1,230,660 Brice June 19, 1917 1,960,130 Trubel May 22, 1934 2,536,942 Kanter Jan. 2, 1951 2,569,080 Trimble et al Sept. 25, 1951 

